Incandescence
by Elliot Grace And Theories
Summary: Although she's known him all her life and has been married to him for four years, it's the first time Hinata meets her husband's friends. AU. Kryptonite-verse.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters**

**Title: Incandescence**

**Rating: T**

**Genre: Romance**

**Pairing: Hinata/Sasuke**

**Summary: Although she's known him all her life and has been married to him for four years, it's the first time Hinata meets her husband's friends. AU. Kryptonite-verse**

**Note: Careful, She's Your Kryptonite went down really well and I'm happy everyone really liked it. I thought maybe because it was so positively received and I personally like the idea of a married Sasuke and Hinata, I can just make a series of one-shots of after Sasuke and Hinata have accepted their feelings for one another. How does that sound? Let me know what you guys think and make sure to read the author's note at the bottom!**

**PS: You may or may not have to read Careful She's Your Kryptonite to understand this. It'll work by itself, but things will make a ton more sense if that one is read first. It's in my profile, for those who are interested : )**

* * *

Hinata didn't know what to feel at that moment, if she was well and truly honest. She and Sasuke were having dinner, speaking of their day when silence overtook them and he suddenly asked her a question.

'Pardon?' She almost spluttered, blinking at him.

'Will you,' he repeated slowly, drawing out the words, 'meet my co-workers this weekend?'

Mouth agape, Hinata wired it shut to quit looking ridiculous. 'O-of course, I mean, they're your friends, right?'

'Yeah, they said we should have dinner on Saturday. Not many, just a few. It's more of a coupe thing. Bringing partners and of the sort.' He cleared his throat.

'Do they even know you're married?' She couldn't help but ask, putting her fork down on her plate.

Sasuke raised another spoon of rice to his mouth. 'They will on Saturday.'

For reasons unbeknownst to her, Hinata's heart thundered rapidly in her chest at the thought of meeting Sasuke's friends. For goodness sake it was a normal thing for married people. You hung out with your partner's circle of mates, got along with them. But in the past four years Hinata only knew the name of Sasuke's supervisor at work, only because he complained about him on a regular basis. Suddenly meeting his friends made her more anxious than she should have been. _He's accepting you into his life now. He's giving you the chance to become part of his life. Truly._ The thought warmed her heart, echoing the affection and love she felt for the man across the table.

Sasuke ate his food without fuss, patiently waiting for her response.

'Okay. I'll go.' She finally said. 'For you.'

He offered a small, rare smile. 'When you meet them you'll be there for more than just me. Especially their partners, they're your type of people.'

The idea of Sasuke knowing the type of people she got along with brought a smile to her face. He was thinking of her, in his own way.

'And how do you know their partners if they don't even know you're married to me?' She knew why. They truly hadn't accepted their relationship until recently. Hinata hadn't uttered a word of her marital status to any of her co-workers at school; she couldn't imagine Sasuke talking about her to his own.

'Because they, especially Ino, nag their partners all the time. They're constantly on the phone, and sometimes they even visit the office. It's ridiculous.' He scoffed at their supposed behaviour, and while Hinata could imagine he was grateful she wasn't like that, she wondered whether he would want her to be. Not a nag, but a visitor at work.

'They're housewives?' Hinata asked.

'They're not, but when Shikamaru is working late, Ino drops by with dinner and stays with him until his work is done. They go home together.'

Hinata smiled. 'She sounds like a loyal partner.'

-X-

Saturday night rolled by and Hinata was getting cold feet.

Putting on earrings, she watched herself in her vanity mirror. She looked ghastly nervous. Sick almost.

'Ready?' Sasuke entered the bedroom, looking suitable for a top-class restaurant. Approaching her, he wound his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as he sensed her anxiety.

'You look beautiful.' He murmured, maybe because it was true or maybe to make her feel better.

It didn't.

Exhaling deeply, Hinata closed her eyes to ward off anymore negative feelings. Sasuke kissed her neck affectionately. _That_ made her feel better.

'Come on, it's almost 8.'

-X-

As Sasuke said it would be, the restaurant was elegant, chic and very expensive. She didn't feel under-dressed as much as she felt nervous, but people staring at her attire certainly didn't help either. Noticing her sudden extra worry, Sasuke rubbed a hand down her back. 'You're so beautiful they can't stop looking.'

She appreciated her husband's attempt to ease her worries as they followed a waiter who led them to their table. A couple already sat there, a tall, brooding man with hair in a high pony-tail and a blonde in an elegant purple dress. She stood up when they appeared, a bright, beautiful smile crossing her face as she welcomed her with open arms.

'Hey!' She greeted happily as Hinata smiled in response, returning the small hug the woman offered. 'I'm Ino, it's great to meet you.' Turning to Sasuke who shook hands with the man she was with, she grinned at him. 'Why don't you guys sit down? Naruto and Sakura will be here any minute.'

_So this was Ino_, Hinata thought as she sat across her. 'This is Shikamaru, my husband,' Ino introduced the man next to her. He gave her a lazy nod, something akin to a smile gracing his lips. 'Nice meeting you. Sasuke's girlfriend, right?'

'This is Hinata, my wife,' Sasuke amended.

Ino gasped, 'I didn't know you were married,' she said, and her husband seemed to follow the same line of surprise. Hinata knew they would.

It may have been a recent discovery, but Hinata didn't take well to being jealous over her husband with other women. Spending the past four years with the knowledge that Sasuke may or may not have been with countless women hadn't let up on its effect on her. But with one look at Ino and the loving way she glanced at her husband, Hinata knew there was nothing to worry about, no matter how much the blonde across her knew about Sasuke.

Soon enough, the other couple arrived, and Hinata was introduced to the two. She took an immediate liking to them, what with Sakura's friendly and warm nature and Naruto's ever-grinning face. When they were all seated, all of Hinata's worries melted away and she felt comfortable in the presence of the people she was with.

They spoke for some time after they ordered the food, and Hinata learnt Ino was a florist, she and Shikamaru had practically grown up in the same crib along with another friend, and they'd been dating since they were in high school, choosing to tie the knot as early as nineteen.

'How long have you been married?' Hinata asked with an incredulous look on her face, trying to calculate her age.

'Going on eleven years next April,' Ino grinned.

It boggled her mind how couples could be so loyal to each other for so long. She didn't know anyone who had been together since adolescence, much less one who married so early. 'He would have married me when we were fourteen if he could help it, but it wasn't legal,' Ino teased.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. 'Stop giving her false information,' he pleaded dryly.

Sasuke smirked beside her. 'I don't doubt your wife's words, Nara,' he stated, and Shikamaru sighed.

'So how long have you been together?'

Hinata suddenly felt uncomfortable. They hadn't spoken about what their background would be before they came, but she should have thought of it, should have consulted Sasuke. But her husband had other plans, choosing to take over the story rather than let her sit and suffer through an awkward explanation.

'We come from the same town, so we've known each other all our lives,' he replied smoothly. 'We didn't date for very long. Got married after two months. It's been four years since then.' Hinata thanked the Lord above for her ever intelligent spouse. He hadn't spurted a lie, not a blatant one, at least.

'Wow, you knew you wanted her that soon? Two months is no joke,' Naruto exclaimed, amazed. He grinned at her. 'He must treat you really well if you agreed to marry a jerk like him,' he joked, and Sakura elbowed him in the stomach. Sasuke glared from across the table, but Hinata knew there were no hard feelings between the two, as her husband retorted with little hesitance: 'it took Sakura seven years to agree to marrying you, so I wouldn't be so rude, dobe.'

'Dumb-ass.'

'Bastard.'

Hinata sat stunned, watching the exchange as the two bickered. She had never seen Sasuke argue with someone so pettily, and it filled her with a strange giddiness to see him acting in such a childish manner. There was a streak of banter in her husband, albeit a dark, rude one, but banter nonetheless.

When the food arrived, Ino stared at the plates with a scowl.

'If I make reservations at a restaurant like this, this is what I get.'

Hinata looked down at her plate. It was small, considerably so as she knew the serving sizes at other, more low-key restaurants, but it would be enough to fill a stomach.

'Book somewhere that understands the human appetite a little better next time, troublesome woman,' Shikamaru remarked, picking up his fork. Ino looked almost ready to agree with him, but didn't say another word.

Taking the short silence as a cue to begin eating, Hinata picked up her own cutlery to cut into her steak. The conversation picked up again soon enough, mainly between Ino, Sakura and Naruto who seemed to have better social skills than the rest of them. But it was eight, maybe nine minutes into the meal that Shikamaru suddenly stopped eating, putting his knife down very slowly.

'What's wrong?' Ino asked, immediately picking up on her husband's actions.

With a lazy, almost sluggish movement, Shikamaru raised his fingers to his plate, and very effectively picked up a long, light but unmistakable strand of hair.

Ino gasped, a look of horror taking over her features as her eyes reflected disgust.

'It's fine,' Shikamaru said, ready to drop the hair on the floor but Ino grasped his hand.

'Don't you dare,' she hissed, and shrieked, 'waiter!' loudly, her voice carrying around the restaurant and making other customers look up.

A waiter rushed over quickly, bending by the table. 'What is the matter?' he asked, spotless white tea towel draped over his forearm.

Ino pointed at the hair in Shikamaru's hand. 'What is this?' she demanded, slamming her fork onto her plate, clearly enraged. 'We come here to have a clean, expensive meal and this is the service we get? Are we paying you a week's worth of salary just to eat your hairs?!' she shrieked.

Hinata looked down at her plate again, and she knew it was unlikely there would be hair in it; it was a very expensive restaurant, but the convulsion in her stomach wasn't letting up. She pushed it away. Seeing Sasuke do the same from the corner of her eye, she looked up at the flushed waiter.

'I'm so sorry, Madame, we'll get you another plate immediately,' he apologised, appearing flustered. But Ino was having none of it. 'Another plate? Do you think we'll just accept another plate like this didn't just happen? I won't stand for it.' She pushed her chair back, looking mad. 'I want to speak to the manager.'

'I'll take you to him,' the waiter bowed, but Ino frowned. 'I'm not going to the feet of your manager, he's coming to mine,' she said viciously. 'Go get him right now.'

The waiter rushed away, and as soon as he disappeared, Shikamaru stared at Ino. 'You're taking this too far.'

She kissed his cheek, and Hinata was taken aback by the sudden affection. 'No, I'm not. I just really want to get out of here without paying all that money. The servings were tiny anyway.' She glanced at the rest of the table. 'What do you guys say we go buy burgers?'

'I'm totally up for it,' Sakura said, grimacing at her plate. 'I'm never coming here again.'

'It's just a one-time thing, it wouldn't happen again, would it?' Naruto questioned. Sakura glared at him. 'This is a high class restaurant, it shouldn't happen _ever._'

Ino vocally agreed, appearing all too glad to have a reason to complain about.

When the manager came, she argued with him as well, and it went on for almost two minutes before the man had enough that he agreed to let them leave without paying. Taking Shikamaru's hand in hers, Ino left the place with her nose in the air.

Sasuke's hand came to rest on the small of her back as they followed the rest out of the restaurant. 'What drama.' She voiced, feeling timidly intimidated by the blonde's behaviour.

He smirked. 'That's Ino for you. But really, she just likes to eat so she wasn't happy here in the first place. Even though she made the bookings.'

'Where to now?' Hinata asked.

'You heard them. Burgers.'

They went to the nearest Burger King and ordered the largest meals they had. Spending the night in a nearby park, the three couple sat out on a tatami mat that Naruto had in his boot. Hinata noticed Ino was much happier to be sitting on the grass munching on her fries in her long dress than she was in the restaurant.

It hadn't changed a thing. They were all too overdressed for a night out in a local park, but it didn't appear to affect anybody. Hinata exchanged numbers with the girls before parting ways, and on the way home, felt a new kind of contentment.

-X-

'I like them.' Hinata whispered that night. She knew Sasuke wasn't asleep, even though it was past midnight and they were in bed.

'I knew you would,' she heard him mutter, eyes still closed. 'I realized something today.'

'What?' she asked softly.

'It was when Naruto asked whether I knew I wanted to marry so soon after we supposedly started dating.'

'We never dated.' She stated.

'I know, but it _was_ two months. And even though I approached you with the idea of an arranged marriage, I wonder if I always knew.'

'Knew what?'

His eyes were still closed. 'That I would love you.'

Hinata smiled. It was the first time he said it, no matter how much she knew he loved her. 'Don't be silly. No one knows the future.' She pinched his nose, but he gave no reaction. Resting her hand on his cheek, she watched his peaceful face.

'When we were kids I used to notice you a lot.' He admitted. 'I remember when I was thirteen I saw you at the grocery store once. You were just looking at some canned pineapples, but I remember thinking you were beautiful. I might have known since then.'

'I didn't think you were good looking until I fell in love with you,' she confessed.

He smirked, her hand moving at the pull of his facial muscles. 'Lies.'

'I'm serious. Love does weird things.'

Pulling her forward, Sasuke sighed against her hair. 'I'll just pretend to believe you, Hinata.'

'Have I ever lied to you before?' she frowned, not understanding his refusal.

'There's a first for everything. Go to sleep.'

Hinata rested against his chest, unsatisfied. The arrogant man just couldn't accept that not everyone found him attractive. But he was her arrogant man so she let it pass. Closing her eyes, she succumbed to the warmth.

* * *

_**My hands just went off with this one, I don't know what happened. It's a little silly, but I like some humour every now and then, and Ino provides lots of it so I took full advantage. **_

_**So going back to what I said above, do you guys think I should write a series of one-shots following this story, just about their married life? I'm totally up for it, but I don't know if people will read, if you know what I mean.**_

_**If you guys want it though, I wouldn't compile it all under one story because then I feel the need to constantly update and that would kill the inspiration as I have enough multi-chapter stories I need to update. I'll just post all the one-shots separately and have 'Kryptonite-verse' in all of their summaries so you know they're sequels to each other and follow ups.**_

_**What do you guys think?**_

_**Let me know**_

_**xx**_


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